Prescription-filing machine.



3 SHEETS-SIIEET I.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

J. H. ELDER.

PRESCRIPTION FILING MACHINE.

APPucATloN FILED Auen. 1911.

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ATTORNEY @I m WE.

J. H. ELDER.

PRESCRIPTION FILING IvIIIcIIINE. APPLICATIONLFILED AUG. 7. 1917.'

1 ,275,008 Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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l. H. ELDER.

PRESCRIPTION FILING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1917.

Patnted Aug. 6, 1918'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 l WITNESSES QQ, A. W,

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JOSEPH H. ELDER, oE AVERY, TEXAS.

PRESCRIPTION-FILING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. e, 1918.

Application led August 7, 1917. Serial No. 184,929.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. EEDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Avery, in the county of Red River and State v of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Prescription-Filing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvedv ling machine especially adapted for use by druggists for filing prescriptions, the object of the invention being to provide an improved device of'this character by means of which prescriptions and the like may be kept in numerical order in separate hundreds or other units and in tens or other fractional parts of the units and so that access can be instantly obtained to any desired numbered prescription to enable the same to be refilled and by means of which danger of incorrectly numbering prescriptions is minimized and the duplication of numbers on prescriptions is revented and danger of lossof prescriptions from the file is also prevented orV minimized.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a filing machine constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

(Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the v same on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of J the same taken on the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and yshowing the base in plan. y

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

one of the clips.

Fig. 7 isa detailed perspective view of one of the cross heads. Y

In the embodiment of my invention I provide abase 1 on which the filing machine 2 is mounted for rotation, the pivot of the machine being indicated at 3 and arranged 'I centrally thereof Vand also centrally of the bearing balls 8, a ball bearing being thereby provided for the machine, to minimize friction and enable the machine to be readily turned on the base as desired.

A filing rod 9 has its lower end secured to the bottom of the machine as at 10. The prescriptions or other papers, indicated at a are iiled on the iling rod in numerical order and are divided in hundreds by clips 11 the capacity of each clip being one hundred prescriptions or other papers.Y Each clip has a lifting arm 12. A guide post 17 connects the top and bottom of the machine and is provided on its outer side with a` cover plate 19. Cross heads 14 operate in the channel of the guide'post andieach cross head has an inwardly extending arm4 14a which is movable vertically in a slot 16 of the guide post, said arm 14a having a slot 13 at its inner end to receive the lifting arm 12 of one of the clips and being also provided with a clamping screw 14b whereby the clip'may be detachably connected to the cross heads. Each cross head also has an outwardly extending arm 14c which operates in a vertical slot 20 with which the cover ing to the desired capacity of the filing inay chine yand each clip may be of any desired capacity. Assuming the capacity of each clip to be one hundred prescriptions, those of the first hundred will bexplaced inthe lowermost clip,'those in the second hundred in the next lowermost and so on.

Associated with each clip is a lifting lever 21 each lifting lever beingprovided at its outer end with a key 22 whichvis numbered with which it is associated, the lowermost lever keyvbeing numbered one hundred the next lowermost'two hundred and so on, as

will be understood. Each clip lifting leverl is pivotally mounted as at 23 on a key post 24. The free inner end of each lifting lever is upturned as zat 25 and is arranged to according to the numericalvalue of the clip Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of slide under the concave lower face of the lifting cam 15 of thefcross head with which said lever is associated. Each cross head cam has a stop 27 extending downwardly therefrom and which limits downward movement of the lever 21, the said levers being slidable on said stops and said stops affording the required play of the levers to enable the latter to be employed to lift the clips as required.

Associated with each clip lifting lever is a lock pin 28 the lock pins being mounted for longitudinal movement and also for partial rotation in openings in the key post 24 and each lock pin being provided-atits outer end with a push button 29 and also With a spring 30, said springs serving to normally push the lock pins outwardly so that their inner ends are out of the Way of the lifting levers. Each lock pin is provided at its inner end ivith a shoulder SO and when the lock pin has been pushed inwardly against the pressure of its spring 30 to arrange its inner end below the lever Q1 with which said lock pin is associated and thereby cause the lock pin to engage the under side of said lever and lock the latter in clip lifting position, said lock pin must be partly turned so as to engage itsshoulder 30 against the inner side of the key post and thereby hold the lock pin in locking position, against the tensionof the spring 31. A recess 39. is also provided in the inner side of the key pest for each lock pin, to receive the shoulder l 30 ofthe latter when the lock pin is in normal, outwardly projected position.

Each clip is divided into ten superposed sections to receive prescriptions or other papers in tens by a series of spaced arms which areof unequal length and are ar- Y ranged in regular order according to their length, With the longest arm loivermost, so that the outer ends of all of the arms are exposed yand the various tens into which the papers are divided by the said arms are designated, thus greatly facilitating access tothe papers and enabling any desired numbered paper to be readily obtained.` A gate 34 to hold the papers in the clip is pivot.- ally connected atits upper end to the upper arm 38 as at 35 and is detachably connected to the bottom of the clip as at 86.` Each clip has a horizontally arranged V-shapedV arm or bracket 37 which forms the bottom thereof and which is provided with an open slot 38 to receive .the filing rod 9. Any of the clips, after it `has been disconnected from its arm 12, may be readily removed from the filing rod, With its papers intact and in place, as Will be understood. The various tens indicated by the arms 33 are inscribed at the exposed ends of said arms as shown in Fig. 8.

To turn the machine through a half revolution when desiredI provide a spring 39 Which is coiled on a post 40 which rises from the base 1, the free end of the spring beingV attached to a vpin 4l-Whi`ch extends vdoivn- Wardly fronr the bottom of the machine. The spring slidably engages on the outer gaged With the stop 43. When said button is disengaged from said stop the spring turns the machine through a half revolution and-engages said pin with the stop 44, as will be understood. v

7While I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention, I Would have it understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion and construction of the severa-l parts, Without departing from the spirit of my invention and Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claimJ- l. In a filing device of the class described, a liling rod, filing clips movable vertically on said filing rod and means to operate the.

clips.

2. In a device-of the class described, a tiling rod, tiling clips movable vertically on the filing rod, and means for raising and loivering the clips, each clip being detachable from the filing rod and also from its raising and lowering means.

3. In a device of the class described, a filingl rod, a guide post, clips arranged for vertical movement on the filing rod, heads arranged for vert-ical movement in the guide post and each connected to one of the clips, and key levers for raising and lowering the several heads together with the clips.

4. In a device of the class described, .a filing clip having means to guide the papers thereon 1n tens.

5. In. a device of the class described,l av

tiling clip having means to guide the papers thereon'in` tens, and also `having means to designate theseveral tens.

6. .A tiling machine, a base on vvhichthe machine is mounted for turning movement,

having a head guided by lthe guide post, Y

key levers 'engaging With the several heads and arranged to raise orlower the same t0-y gether With the clip attached to eachhead,

and means coacting with the key levers to secure the clips in raised position.

In testimony whereof Ik affix my signature.

Josnrn H. ELDER,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissionero Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

